Judge Dismisses DOJ Suit on Minnesota Immigrant Tuition

A federal judge in Minnesota dismissed a U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit on Friday that sought to end the state's policies granting in-state tuition rates and scholarships to certain immigrants without legal status, allowing public universities to continue the programs.

The ruling came from U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. The lawsuit, filed last summer, challenged Minnesota statutes that extend in-state tuition benefits to students who attended a Minnesota high school for at least three years and graduated, regardless of their immigration status or prior residency. Under these laws, eligible students pay the lower in-state rate, which for the 2025-2026 academic year at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities is $18,094, compared to $40,556 for out-of-state students. The policies also apply to programs like the North Star Promise, which offers free tuition to qualifying low-income students.

The Department of Justice argued that the statutes violate the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, a federal law that bars states from providing postsecondary education benefits to immigrants...